World Rapid and Blitz : New York City 2024 edition
Hello all
Happy New Year !
Lots to discuss following the World Rapid and Blitz event which took place in New York at the end of 2024
The 2024 FIDE World Blitz Championship concluded with high drama, as Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi shared the Open title after an intense tiebreak match, while Ju Wenjun clinched the Women’s Blitz crown by defeating Lei Tingjie in the final.
Following a dramatic finish in the Open and Women’s competitions, the chess world got a new chess king and queen in the Rapid. India’s Humpy Koneru clinched her second FIDE World Rapid Crown, while 18-year-old Volodar Murzin made history as the second-youngest person to win the Open Rapid.
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Magnus Carlsen got in mainstream news.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/28/sport/magnus-carlsen-quits-jeans-spt-intl/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/30/sport/magnus-carlsen-rejoin-chess-championships-spt/index.html
Drama around wearing jeans with Carlsen starting but not finishing the rapid event.
So many journalists in the playing hall at 55 Wall Street (Cipriani Wall Street, a prestigious venue for the tournament) , very close from the New York Stock Exchange in the Financial District aka "Wall Street".
and in the final match to decide the world blitz champion, another controversy. Chess world and drama go together these days.
What were the rules in case the 4-games match was tied ? Here's a summary
and specifically "sudden death" for tie-break
After 4 games in their match, they had played 3 tie-break games which were drawn.
Therefore the score was as such
but Magnus Carlsen suggested to Nepo to stop and share the title, which FIDE (all the way to its president) agreed to.
Leading to this
Photo Credit:Fide, https://worldrapidandblitz2024.fide.com/
which was not sitting well with many fans and GMs, including Hikaru Nakamura, Hans Niemann and Daniel Naroditsky, who all competed in the event.
To sum up, lots of drama in the chess world, between dress code policy and "sharing" the world blitz title following Carlsen proposal, as opposed to continue to play until a winner emerges, which was what the rules called for. FIDE accepted to bend the rules here more than once.
Also many expressed the need for FIDE to go back to a swiss open formula, where after lets say 21 rounds a winner is declared (with possible tie-break match though)
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Let's not forget what we saw also a quarterfinal between Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen, which was eventful as the score was Niemann 1.5 - Carlsen 0.5 after 2 games, before Carlsen won games 3 and 4.
Credit: FIDE photo,https://worldrapidandblitz2024.fide.com/
and while Humpy Koneru won a 2nd rapid title, this was the first world rapid title for a newer player on the chess scene, Volodar Murzin who is standing on the left here
Credit: FIDE, https://worldrapidandblitz2024.fide.com/
Murzin is only 18 years old and also managed to qualify for final 8 in blitz ( GM @DanielNaroditsky was very close to qualify as well with 9.5/13 but did not make it)
a lot happened in New York away from the chess board
Photo Credit: FIDE
Photo Credit: @newchesscorner64
and Vishy Anand was there during the event
Photo Credit: @newchesscorner64
Anand is not only a 5-time world champion but current deputy FIDE president.
https://ratings.fide.com/profile/5000017
you can find the profile of the FIDE president here Arkady Dvorkovich.
https://ratings.fide.com/profile/34404449
The FIDE president called both Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi during the "pause" after 7 games were played. He was not present on the scene, but the arbiters and Anand as well as FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky and FIDE Official GM Pavel Tregubov were in the playing hall when all of this unfolded.
Lets not forget a fantastic performance by Ju Wenjun winning the blitz title (she also holds the classical title)
Credit: FIDE , Ju Wenjun second from left
While there have been a number of articles, reports and reactions on social media, I tried to summarized what happened from an objective and factual standpoint.
There was a lot to cover on and off the board.
Thoughts,Comments ?
